1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ignition devices, and more particularly to electrically powered gas burner igniters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the present day shortages of energy and particularly the present radical shortages in gas reserves, the requirement of economy in gas usage has risen to paramount importance. One major overhead item incidental to some gas burning devices is that required to maintain the pilot light for ignition. To avoid the uneconomical features of the pilot light various devices have been developed in the past which through momentary application of electrical energy ignite the burner on demand. Most such electrical igniters were of the heating filament type, wherein a heating filament would be used to ignite a pilot or preignition circuit and only after the pilot is ignited is the main burner enabled. The complexity of the foregoing ignition systems has been a continuous source of failures, with the result that the home user would often be required to maintain various small components in any gas burning appliance in order to keep it working. Also extensive component redundancy was required to insure fail-safe conditions.
Alternatively spark ignition systems for use with gas burners were developed where, for example, a spark would be generated during the start-up period of the burner to ignite the gas. Most such prior spark ignition systems, however, are again quite complex to assure safe failures. In each instance breakdowns are accompanied by the potential for repeated high volume gas flows. It is this specific problem that is currently addressed by the present invention.